


In Charge

by Dazeventura6



Series: AUs [4]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Foyet is a bad guy, M/M, Unitchief!Spencer, boys with crushes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-13 02:01:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14739954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dazeventura6/pseuds/Dazeventura6
Summary: Spencer Reid is the youngest unit chief the bureau has ever had and Aaron Hotchner has no idea quite what to make of his new boss. One thing's for certain.He's gorgeous.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [NimueOfTheNorth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NimueOfTheNorth/pseuds/NimueOfTheNorth) in the [profilers_anon](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/profilers_anon) collection. 



> Thanks to Susspenser for betaing.
> 
> Art by the lovely weaselette.

[](https://imgur.com/9sCFmzn)


	2. Chapter 2

[ ](https://imgur.com/hdwpdAw)

**Spencer**

Spencer Reid was the youngest Unit Chief the BAU had ever had at 28. It was quite an achievement for someone, who had been a reedy nerd, bullied by everyone as a kid.  Spencer was quite proud of it. But, nobody was quite as proud as his surrogate father, David Rossi, who had noticed the young boy at a book signing and taken him under his wing. That is not to say that the journey here had been an easy one, from the time Rossi came into his life. It had been hard, sometimes very hard for the genius to reconcile the horrors he had seen and experienced in his life, and that made Rossi even prouder of his protégé.

Spencer had been a too young, too smart thirteen-year-old when he had first met Rossi. The young genius had just started Caltech, the previous year and was already well on his way to getting two bachelor’s degrees with a third in the works as well. Rossi couldn’t remember exactly what he had asked him, but it had been a question that had made even the veteran profiler pause to think. The kid had also offered ideas about using math and science in figuring out the unsubs comfort zone, that had frankly astounded the older man and intrigued him enough to make a few inquiries about the kid. What he had found had impressed him even more especially when his inquiries led him to Vegas and the home of Prof. Diana Reid.

A few well-placed questions and his own keen observation had shown Rossi the story of a too smart kid whose father had abandoned his ten-year-old son to take care of his schizophrenic mother all by himself. Dave’s heart broke for the boy and his mother, who was clearly trying very hard to hold on for the sake of her son. He was torn between punching Spencer’s father’s lights out or dragging him kicking and screaming back to the family that he didn’t deserve.

Rossi was determined to help in any way he could. Persuading the Reid’s to accept his help was a monumental task, as the boy was very protective of his mother and she of him. Convincing them both of his good intentions was a battle he finally won. Diana allowed him temporary guardianship of her son and was still clear-headed enough to admit that she needed to be admitted to a place where they could provide the kind of care that she needed. Prof. Reid also managed to convince her guilt-ridden son that he was not to blame for any of it and he had not been slacking in his care of her, it was just time for her to let him live his life as she went on with hers.

Convincing the Reids to accept financial help from him was however beyond even Dave’s powers of persuasion, as both mother and son insisted that they were fine and with Diana’s insurance money, from when she had had tenure at the university and Spencer’s scholarships they were comfortably off. Rossi tried but despite all his efforts, the best he could manage was a small fund for Diana to buy whatever books she wanted at Bennington and a small trust fund for Spencer that the boy refused to touch.

The young genius was flattered by Rossi’s interest in him and awkward, so very awkward in his admiration of Rossi but with time and persistence, the older man managed to breach the walls that the young genius had built and made a place for himself within them. It had been decided that Dave would move down to Pasadena until Spencer turned 18.  He found an apartment close to campus for the two of them to live in. It was big enough that they could both have a measure of space and wouldn’t step on each other’s toes.

_ About a week after they had moved in at the start of Spencer’s second year at college he strolled into the apartment with a forced air of nonchalance and dropped a course curriculum in front of Dave who was reading over some changes his editor had asked him to make. _

_ “What’s this?” The older man asked picking it up but not looking at it yet. _

_ “I decided to add another major,” Spencer said feigning nonchalance while Dave could see he was bursting with excitement and uncertainty on what Dave would think. _

_ “Don’t you have enough already?” Dave teased smiling at the boy as he finally looked at the curriculum in his hand, “Psychology? Are you sure, Spencer? You don’t have to do this for me.” _

_ Spencer smiled uncertainly, “It-it’s not just for you. I mean reading your book got me interested but I also want to understand my mom and people like her. I want a way to help her and people like her……is-is that alright?” He continued fidgeting with his hands as he spoke. _

_ “If that’s what you really want. If you’re sure then, I’ll even help you if you want.” Rossi said smiling at the boy he was coming to care for as a son. _

_ “Oh…that’s great. I hadn’t thought of that. If you are really willing to help I had some ideas for the term papers and projects for next term and…..” Spencer started talking about all the things that he would like to look into and learn about psychology, making Dave wonder what he had gotten himself into offering to help the genius. At this rate, he might be spending all his free time looking up obscure psychological issues just so he could keep up with the boy. It was worth it though to see the boy light up with enthusiasm for the new subject he had chosen to study. _

In the end, Spencer ended up with four PhDs in Chemistry, Mathematics, Engineering and Psychology by the time most people were barely out of high school. Rossi had never been prouder. The two had become quite comfortable in their little apartment in Pasadena and with each other. They enjoyed a warm relationship as close to father-son, as either was comfortable with.

Spencer was starting to feel a little restless in the academic world and though he loved learning new things he was starting to wonder, if he would ever have any major impact on the world if he stayed in academia. He was chomping at the bit to make a real difference in the world, to help people but he wasn’t sure how to go about it. And into their cosy little world came one, Jason Gideon.

There was a case in nearby LA and Gideon had decided to drop in on his old friend and meet this young genius that his friend seemed to have adopted. One meeting and Gideon was doing his best to recruit the young man into his unit. He promised to pull strings and get him into the BAU as early as possible following training. He promised to personally mentor Spencer. He promised everything he could think of despite Rossi’s objections. Dave was reluctant to have his young charge join the unit. He didn’t want the innocence that Spencer still carried, despite the life he had lived, to get tarnished by joining the FBI and hunting the most violent and dangerous criminals.

But Spencer was enthralled. He couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t thought of it himself. The way Gideon spoke of it, it was a never-ending puzzle for him to solve plus he got to make a difference in the world. Eventually, he talked Dave into it as well. Spencer was now 22 after all and didn’t really need Rossi’s permission anymore. So, the beginning of the new academic year saw Dave move back into his home in DC and Spencer enrolled in the academy. Thanks to Dave’s insisting that Spencer needed to learn to protect himself by learning self-defense and to fire a gun the academy wasn’t too difficult for the young genius. In the years since Dave had first met him, he had grown and even put on a bit of muscle and strength, even if he was still slim built. With Gideon’s help he was a newly minted Special agent in the BAU, the youngest ever.

~*~

Spencer sat in his new office and looked around admiring the way his things looked in this setting. As he checked to see that nothing was out of place he heard a knock on the door.

“Hello Boss. All settled in?” A gruff voice asked as Dave poked his head inside and smiled at Spencer.

“Dave!” Spencer exclaimed in a half-exasperated half-amused voice, “Are you sure you don’t want the office back?”

“Oh no! It’s yours now. I don’t want this headache back, thank you very much. I’m quite happy to be in the office next door. The only reason I took the job in the first place was because you weren’t ready for it yet and now you are.” Rossi said his pride in the young genius shining through.

“But, will you really be comfortable with  _ me _ being your boss?” Spencer asked. He wasn’t sure how comfortable he would be giving orders to someone who had had a hand in raising him for so many years.

“I’m fine Spencer. You’ll do great. And I know you won’t hesitate to tell me if I’m being an ass. You didn’t hesitate when I was your boss so I doubt you will now.” Dave said, laughter in his voice.

Spencer blushed and smiled remembering Rossi’s first case back and how they had butted heads during that case.

His years in the BAU had certainly been eventful, he thought ruefully.

At first Gideon had been a good mentor, maybe he wasn’t the most attentive or empathetic but he had taken trouble to nurture Spencer’s talents and get him over his initial hurdles with the team.

The team had been far from welcoming, most of them several years older than him and not at all appreciative of the scrawny new nerd who was Gideon’s pet as they put it. But Morgan had taken one look at him and decided he needed to take him under his wing and protect him. Spencer would never know exactly what Derek Morgan had seen in him but he was grateful for his friendship in those first months, when he was just getting used to the team. He had later earned his respect when he had saved Morgan from falling to his death chasing after the Blue Ridge killer.

Then Boston happened and Bale killed most of the team which left Gideon a broken man. His arrogance had taken a big hit and it never really recovered. Gideon just became more and more convinced of his own invincibility, and refused to listen to anyone else or admit to his own mistakes.

When they had come back from Boston, Morgan who had been away on leave at the time was so grateful for Spencer’s survival, that he had broken through his fears to ask Spencer out. Spencer of course had been thrilled as he had nursed a secret crush on the other agent. They had started dating and for a time they were quite happy together. Even through the nightmare that involved the Fisher King that had lost them Elle and brought Emily into their lives.  They had managed to hold on to each other and stay together. Spencer knew he had fallen in love with Morgan and they had been talking about moving in, when the case involving Tobias Hankel happened. Watching his lover die and being helpless to save him had hurt Morgan, more than he could bear and when they had finally found Spencer limping along the road after killing Hankel, he had broken down in tears clutching him close as though he would never let go.

Morgan had stayed with him in hospital until they allowed him to leave and insisted on driving him home. But he was quiet and answered Spencer’s questions with monosyllables. Spencer had known that something was up with the man he loved, but had been too involved in battling his own pain and addiction to do anything about it. When Spencer had been settled on the couch with everything he might need within reach, Morgan had made to leave and Spencer hadn’t been able to take it anymore.

“You’re leaving aren’t you?” He asked softly, not looking up at the other man, “You’re leaving me. Or are you leaving the BAU as well?”

“Spencer…” Derek said hesitantly.

“No…I understand. You don’t want to be with someone as weak as me. It’s alright. I’d just like to know if you are leaving the team as well.” The young genius said.

“No Spencer. No, you are not the one who is weak. You are the strongest man I know. That monster kidnapped you, tortured you, drugged you, and killed you and you still managed to find a way back and saved yourself.” Morgan said, walking back towards Spencer and reaching out as if to touch him. When Spencer flinched away he continued sadly, “No Spencer, I’m the weak one. I-I can’t watch you die again and if I stay I’m afraid that will happen. I can’t watch someone else I love die and be helpless to stop it. Not again. I’m sorry,” And he walked out of the apartment his shoulders bowed.

That had been the last time Spencer had seen the older man. By the time he came back from his leave Derek had already transferred to the Chicago field office and left a gaping hole in Spencer’s life and the team. If not for Rossi, Spencer didn’t think he would have survived those first few weeks after Derek left with his sanity intact. Dave had found Spencer in the bathroom trying to shoot up, a couple of hours after Derek left him, and dragged him kicking and screaming into rehab and made sure it stayed off his record.

Spencer had never been more grateful for the older man’s presence in his life especially as Gideon was determined to ignore everyone else’s problems. It was no surprise when he made his biggest mistakes with Breitkopf and then ran away unable to face his own guilt.

The only good thing that came from this was that Rossi came back to work as the unit chief on the proviso that Spencer would be taking over for him as soon as he was ready. He also recruited a linguistics expert, Dr. Alex Blake in Morgan’s place, whom Spencer knew from his time spent guest lecturing in Georgetown University. Alex had been a part of the BAU years ago and Rossi remembered her efficiency and strength well. She fit into the team very well, even better than their new unit chief in fact who still had trouble working as part of a team. This was something Spencer took pains to point out to Dave going so far as to butt heads with the older man until he saw reason much to the surprise of the rest of the team and it earned him their respect.

It was thanks to Alex that Spencer found his relationships with the rest of his team strengthening. JJ became like a sister to him in all but blood and Garcia and Emily were friends he could geek out with to his heart’s content. There were nights spent on the couch with Emily or Garcia watching classic Doctor Who or Star Trek. Days spent arguing the merits of football with JJ or the intricacies of language with Alex and Emily. Spencer found himself, if not happy, at least content for the first time, since Hankel had tried to destroy him.

Those years were busy and eventful with Dave and Spencer butting heads often over different things. Sometimes Dave would be in the right and sometimes Spencer. The worst of Spencer’s offences in Dave’s book was the case in West Bune Texas with a bullied and abused teenager, who had finally snapped and tried to get some revenge of his own. Spencer had stepped out in front of their guns unarmed and shielded Owen Savage from them. The fact that he had succeeded in talking him down barely registered in Dave’s terrified mind, as his mind was still seeing Spencer bleeding out from a gaping hole in the middle of the street. His terror and grief at the thought of losing someone, who was like a son to him, forced Dave to be harder on Spencer than he would have been otherwise and it was only Spencer’s understanding of what he had put the older man through that prevented them from fracturing their relationship beyond repair.

As it was it was still a few weeks before the two men could be alone together without awkwardness. Their closeness and trust in each other was the only reason that Spencer and Emily managed to escape Benjamin Cyrus’ madness and Spencer found the strength to confront his father about Riley Jenkins.

Rossi had begun to train Reid to take over for him as soon as he had taken the job of unit chief. He did not intend to be in charge for even a minute longer than he absolutely had to. He finally handed over the reins and managed to convince the top brass that Spencer was a suitable replacement for him, after the ease and brilliance with which the younger man handled the case where his own past came back to haunt him in the form of Henry Grace.

Spencer, sighed as he reflected on the years and troubles that had brought him here, after Rossi left. Yes, they had been hard years, but there had been a lot of joy as well and his team was family from Garcia’s colorful eccentricities to Rossi’s nosiness, he couldn’t do without any of them. He was happy to be working with them even if he was now their boss.

******************************************************************************************

**Aaron**

Aaron Hotchner was eager to start his first day working for the BAU. For years he had dreamed of joining the FBI and helping to catch the criminals rather than just helping to convict them in court but he had had to wait this long to join and now….now he was going to be part of the most elite unit and help catch the worst of the worst. He had not met his boss yet, but he had heard good things about him and he hoped to make a good impression.

As he made his way up in the elevator, he reflected on the twists and turns in his life that had led him here. He had been a bright student and finished high school and college at in an accelerated program, married his high school sweetheart, Haley, as soon as he finished Law School and joined the DA’s office.

He had grown dissatisfied with his job as a lawyer. It made him feel ineffectual to be trying so hard to put the scum of the earth in prison, when someone else’s shoddy work got them free on a technicality. It took him two years, but he finally admitted to himself that he wanted to be doing more. He started dreaming of joining law enforcement, either the police or the FBI, but Haley had put her foot down and insisted that she had married a lawyer, so he would stay a lawyer for as long as he wanted to be married to her. She had of course not used those exact words but had harped on about how she would worry about him if he joined the FBI,so he had gotten the gist.

He had been unhappy, but he loved his wife so, he had sucked it up and stayed a lawyer. But, he had to do something for himself,  so he had started taking criminology and psychology courses at the local college in secret. Haley of course had noticed his preoccupation and accused him of having an affair.  He had denied the affair of course, but not admitted to the classes.

Soon after, she had started suggesting that they have a baby and slowly wore down his resistance by ignoring completely all his fears and objections and insisting that they try until he agreed just to get her to shut up. What followed had been a couple of years of pain and loss like he had never felt before with Haley losing the babies twice, before the miracle that was his son Jack happened.

On the whole he was glad he was a father, as there was nothing that he enjoyed more than being a father to his son. Soon after Jack was born, Haley had started cheating on him and thought she was being very discreet when she couldn’t have been more obvious but for his son’s sake Aaron had kept quiet. He had, however; stopped hiding the fact that he was taking additional courses and managed to obtain masters in criminal psychology which he was very proud of.

Haley had soon stopped even pretending to be discreet and that was when Aaron knew that his marriage was definitely over, even before she actually asked for a divorce. Turned out she had found someone more ambitious, like she had always wanted. The fact that he was a colleague, who worked with Aaron in the DA’s office, was a blow but Aaron managed to suppress his anger and betrayal for the sake of his son. He found that he had stopped loving his wife a long time ago and couldn’t even pinpoint when it had been.

His response to Haley packing up was to sign up to join the FBI and he spent the initial separation period when Haley wouldn’t even let him see his son until he signed over a large divorce settlement, working out his frustrations through his training and managed to pass with flying colors and was picked to join the SWAT unit.

Before the divorce could be finalized though Haley and her lover had gotten drunk and run a red light, colliding with an oncoming truck killing both of them instantly and leaving Aaron with a one year old who had no idea why mommy wasn’t coming home and a very angry father-in-law. Haley’s father blamed him for everything about the accident and there was nothing anyone could say to convince him otherwise. The only thing Haley’s sister managed to convince the vindictive old man was that if he fought for custody of Jack, he would lose and Hotch would be justified in keeping the boy away from him. So he gave up with ill grace.

The next few years had been the hectic life of a single father, filled with little league games, soccer matches and cases but Aaron finally felt like he was making a real difference in the world and both father and son were happy. They had found a very good nanny for Jack named Renee who was now looking for a fresh challenge now that her kids were all grown up and who was wonderful with Jack. Renee was, also, not beyond taking Aaron himself to task if she felt that he was neglecting himself. Both Hotchner men considered her a godsend and had grown to love and respect her as a member of their little family.

Aaron was moving up the ranks in the FBI satisfactorily and he had started taking courses at Georgetown University towards another degree when he met Alex Blake. The two of them had really hit it off enjoyed her stories of work in the BAU.

It was with a recommendation from Alex that he at age 40 came to be here on his way to meet his new boss at the BAU. He had been supposed to meet the man at his interview, but that had been conducted by senior agents David Rossi and Alex as Dr. Reid had been called away on an emergency. Aaron had liked Rossi and his acerbic wit and felt they would get along well together. He was nervous about meeting his new boss. He had heard many things about the man, that he was brilliant, a genius and young. Dr. Reid had been the unit chief for almost two years now and had been responsible for the capture of an internationally wanted terrorist Ian Doyle, who had been targeting one of his team. Aaron had been impressed when he had heard the few details of that particular bust that had trickled down through the grapevine and it had increased his determination to join the BAU.

************************************************************************************************


	3. Chapter 3

Aaron walked into the bullpen and looked around with uncertainty. He was fairly sure that Dr. Reid’s office was one of the ones at the top of the stairs, but he still hesitated. A bubbly blonde woman wearing a very colorful outfit, that Aaron was sure wasn’t part of the regulation dress code was walking towards him a questioning expression on her face.

“Well hello there tall, dark and dreamy. How can I help you?” She asked, as she came closer.

“I’m looking for Dr. Reid’s office.” Aaron said with uncertainty.

“Oh our fearless leader. He’s up there the second office past the conference room.” The blonde answered.

“Thank you.”

“No problem sugar. Go right on up.” The blonde said as she walked away.

After staring after her in bewilderment for a few seconds Aaron shook his head to clear it and made his way up to Dr. Reid’s office. He knocked on the door and a soft voice bid him enter. His first impression of the man sitting behind the desk and going through some paperwork was  _ young _ . He had known that the unit chief was young but he hadn’t expected him to be so…well  _ young _ . Shaking his head at the absurdity of his thoughts he stepped forward.

“Dr. Reid, I’m Aaron Hotchner. Your new team member.”

The man looked up and smiled and Aaron felt like someone had hit him in the chest, as all the breath went out of his body. His new boss was gorgeous was all he could think for several seconds. He had never been so affected by anyone in his life, he didn’t know how he was going to be able to work with the man when his cock seemed to have very definite ideas about what it wanted to do with him. Doing his best to ignore his libido, he brought his attention to what the younger man was saying.

“Agent Hotchner, welcome. Call me Reid please, everyone else does. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m sorry, I wasn’t at the initial interview.” Spencer said, standing up and offering his hand.

Aaron reached forward to take the man’s hand, feeling a buzzing under his skin as their fingers met. He had it bad, and he didn’t know what to do. Mentally slapping himself, he smiled back at the man.

“Hotch. Not a problem. Agent Rossi was very thorough and Dr. Blake speaks highly of you.”

“Thanks. So, come meet the rest of the team. We don’t have a case right now, but we could be called in at any time. You have your go bag?”

At Aaron’s nod he gestured towards the bullpen and led him towards two women who seemed to be watching them approach as they chatted. When they reached them Spencer ( _ Dr. Reid… Dr.Reid _ – Aaron mentally berated himself), introduced the dark haired woman as Agent Emily Prentiss and the blonde as Agent Jennifer (call me JJ) Jareau, the media liaison. Aaron smiled and shook hands with them both. The dark haired one leaned close to Sp—Dr. Reid and said something softly in his ear, which made him laugh and give her a fond, slightly exasperated look and an exclamation of “Emily.”

“Spence, there’s a case that we might need to pay attention to if the situation escalates. I’ve put the file in your office.” JJ said.

Spencer nodded and then led Aaron out of the bullpen towards one of the offices around it. When they entered Aaron was faced with several computer screens and masses of colour and eccentric, geeky knickknacks. When he looked up he was not at all surprised to see the colorful woman, who had first greeted him grinning at him.

“Hotch, this is our tech analyst Penelope Garcia or as we call her the Goddess of information. Garcia, Agent Aaron Hotchner.” Spencer said, smiling at the woman.

“As well you should bossman, as well you should. And I already met tall dark and handsome over here. I showed him to your office earlier.” Garcia said, grinning and before Aaron knew what was happening he found himself enveloped in a very warm and enthusiastic hug.

“Umm, call me Hotch.” Aaron muttered still stunned, but pleased by the warmth of her welcome when she drew back.

After that, his new boss led Aaron back to his desk and let him get set up before leaving to go back to his own office, with a quick word to ask any of the team or him if he needed anything. The rest of the day passed with Aaron getting his desk and computer setup to suit him and filling out the mountains of paperwork, that was involved when someone transferred from one department to another while getting to know his teammates.

Aaron found out that JJ had a young son and they bonded over childcare options in DC and potential schools for Jack in the area. And that Prentiss was Ambassador Prentiss’ daughter, he knew her mother from one of his early cases. They were very friendly and helped him feel settled in. Alex showed up as he was setting up and they spent a little while catching up before she returned to her case files. Rossi also put in an appearance and welcomed him to the team.

When he had set up his desk, Garcia came by and handed him some cold cases to work on as practice until they were called in for a case. The next week went by the same way with Aaron getting to know his teammates and working on cold cases, as they weren’t called in on a case. Despite his best efforts Aaron learnt nothing new about his new boss except that he drank copious amounts of coffee filled with sugar. It wasn’t that the man was unfriendly, it was just that he seemed to always be busy discussing possible cases with JJ and Rossi or in meetings with Strauss, who was Spencer’s boss and rarely had time to chat.

The rest of the team did not gossip about their boss and seemed to be on very friendly terms with him, with Garcia teasingly calling him bossman and JJ calling him Spence. Rossi seemed to consider him a son as did Alex. Emily’s relationship with the man was what puzzled Aaron the most. She seemed close to him, sometimes being the only one who could pry him out of his office and get him to go home and made Aaron wonder if they might be dating which made his heart hurt a little. He told himself he was being silly as even if Spencer was single, there was no way his new boss would be interested in him, and he had no evidence that he was even interested in men that way, but it didn’t help much.

The next week they were called into a case in Atlanta, Georgia, where an unsub was killing women by gutting them and then slitting their throats, after making them clean up their own murders. The case sickened Aaron but he gained a new appreciation for his teammates, when he saw how smoothly JJ handled the family who had completely shut down and weren’t inclined to help and the speed with which Reid’s mind worked and the efficiency with which he handled his team. He seemed to know each of their strength’s the best and used them in the way that made maximum use of their strengths.

It wasn’t the way he might have handled things if he had been the boss, but the younger man certainly had a good handle on things nevertheless. Watching Spencer charm the women in the club, even as he warned them, was a revelation for Aaron. He hadn’t thought that someone, who looked as geeky as his boss, would be comfortable around women. When he mentioned that hesitantly to his boss Spencer had laughed.

“Living with Dave all these years something was bound to rub off. It took me a while but I can now hold a conversation with a woman without blushing and stuttering.” Spencer said, chuckling.

Aaron smiled, “I’d say Dave trained you well. Half those women wouldn’t have been willing to listen, if you hadn’t been so easy talking to them.”

Aaron thought Spencer blushed a little, but he couldn’t be sure in the dim lighting of the club.

When they got back, Alex and Rossi had figured out, that the unsub had actually known the new victim. This was soon confirmed by Emily and JJ when they returned from talking to the scumbag Viper, who had taught the unsub how to charm his victim.

It was a flurry of activity, after that as the bartender in one of the clubs was attacked as she was calling in a tip to Reid and they rushed to save her. They had managed to get there in time to catch the unsub and save the woman’s life for which they were all thankful.

On the way back Emily had been fussing over Spencer and insisting he use his inhaler, as he looked a little tired, until he had taken her hand in his and sat her down next to him. The two had had a quiet conversation, and Emily finally stopped hovering and allowed Reid to get some work done.

Aaron could understand her worry and it made him more certain than ever that the two were involved which hurt, but he determinedly pushed it aside as he drove home to Jack. He told himself, that he had always known that his crush on his new boss didn’t stand a chance and determined to move on from it.

~*~

The next few cases were not easy, but they helped Aaron get a better handle on the way the team worked and his place in it. He also felt that he was earning the respect of his teammates and boss. Aaron found himself admiring his unit chief’s courage and intelligence especially after the case where cops were being killed and Spencer had used himself as bait to catch the killer. He had seen how much the younger man had had to fight Rossi to let him do it.  He had gained a respect for Reid, as he watched the younger man stand up to the senior profiler. It didn’t surprise Aaron at all to find that the rest of the team had been ruthless in capturing the killer given how protective they all were of each other but especially Spencer.

The cases seemed to affect each member of the team differently some hitting home for one member or the other more than the rest. Then came the case that was hard on Aaron in particular for so many different reasons. He had been sent ahead of the rest of the team, due to his background as a lawyer to deal with all the legal issues the case was generating. The case involved a call girl who was killing her high profile and wealthy clients and involved so many lawyers determined to cover for their rich clients that Reid had sent Hotch ahead hoping he might be able to cut through the some of the bullshit involved.

Aaron couldn’t help empathize with the woman, as the case progressed and they found out more about their unsub and why she was killing. He understood too well what it was like when you were neglected and left behind like you didn’t matter. Then Megan insisted that Aaron stay with her as she died, after giving him the list of her clients and the men she had targeted. Spencer had brought the EMTs just a little too late.

“What are you going to do with the list, Hotch?” Spencer asked as they watched he paramedics wheel Megan’s body away.

“I promised her that she wouldn’t be forgotten.” Aaron answered, sadness evident in his deep brown eyes.

Spencer nodded and patted his shoulder as he walked away. Aaron was thankful for the unspoken support, as he managed to leak the list anonymously to the press. When nobody on the team mentioned it or tried to find out how the leak had happened, he was even more grateful for his teammates.

A month later, Spencer dropped a journal article to be proofed on his desk without any explanation, just a squeeze on his shoulder as he went by. Reading the article made Aaron’s throat close as he saw that Spencer had gone one step further in making sure the world never forgot Megan Kane. He knew that Spencer would probably not welcome any acknowledgement or thanks, so Aaron snuck in early the next morning and put Spencer’s favorite coffee and scone on his desk waiting for him when he arrived.

~*~

The Boston Reaper was a case that their team was unlikely to ever forget. It started with Rossi getting a phone call from the cop who had been in charge of the investigation all those years ago. Rossi came back furious and Spencer could read all the signs. It was easy for him to convince Dave to tell him exactly what was going on and by the time Garcia returned with the ad from ten years ago,  he understood what was at stake and he couldn’t help the feeling of trepidation when he thought of what would likely happen once Shaughnessy died.

By the time the news of his latest victims reached them Spencer and Rossi were well on their way through the files from the previous victims. Spencer couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something important, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. When they got to Boston, Spencer and Rossi along with JJ went straight to the crime scene, where Rossi managed to convince the lead detective to let them on the case by telling him what Shaunessy had told him. Spencer talked Rossi through his previous findings and persuaded him to deliver his profile to the team.

By the time they located and met with Foyet, Spencer was sure that something didn’t add up about the man. Emily’s comment about the woman, who had died while Foyet survived, reminded him of Foyet’s words about proposing and the idea sparked that it made no sense for him to have survived the attack in the first place. From there Penelope’s investigations into his Aliases and they were able to catch the madman, before he killed anyone else.

Foyet was surprised and admiring of Spencer when they caught him, that it turned the unit chief’s stomach. The man seemed determined to draw parallels between Spencer and himself,  if it wasn’t for Rossi coming in and interrupting Spencer might have emptied the contents of his stomach in the interrogation room. The shudder of revulsion, that he had barely managed to suppress while in the room with Foyet was back as soon as he was out.

“Gods that man gives me the creeps. How anyone can be so depraved is a mystery to me even after all these years.” Spencer told Rossi.

“I would be worried, if you did understand.” Rossi said, patting his back reassuringly, “You did fine, now we just have to keep that psycho far away from you. He seems to have taken a shine to you.”

“Don’t remind me.” Spencer said, barely suppressing another shudder.

By the time they had returned to DC, Foyet had already escaped from prison and was on the run. It took no convincing at all for Spencer to move into Rossi’s house while the security system on Spencer’s brownstone was updated. Given Foyet’s preoccupation with Spencer in interrogation, Garcia began to monitor all train and bus stations for him, but they never found the man either entering DC or leaving Boston and over time they bowed to pressure from above and allowed the Marshalls to take over the hunt. Not that it stopped any of them from trying to figure out Foyet’s next move in their spare time.


	4. Chapter 4

The case involving Adam Jackson, an unsub with multiple personalities, hit Spencer particularly hard. He blamed himself for not figuring it out sooner and for Amanda, one of Adam’s personalities, in essence killing Adam. None of the team could figure out what they could say to him since they were all dealing with their own demons from the Tobias Hankel case and memories of Spencer almost dying. It was finally Aaron, who tried to offer support and comfort.

The case after that took them to Canada and affected the whole team. So many lost with no one any the wiser, until Hightower had forced people to look and see. The fact that it ended with Hightower in prison in Canada for killing Mason Turner, was even more depressing. Coming back from that case, none of them were sure that they had the will to go on. There was no chatter on the plane, even Garcia was subdued. Everyone retreated to their own corners lost in their own heads. Even Reid was not doing his never-ending paperwork. When they landed it was clear that they all just wanted to go to bed and possibly never leave, but it wasn’t to be.

The very next morning, they were called in to a case that was thankfully local. A doctor was being stalked. Aaron, Spencer and Emily were left to go over the case files, while the rest of the team protected the son at his school. Between trying to keep the doctor from panicking and making sure his son stayed where he was supposed to, it took them very nearly too long to figure out who the unsub was, and that he was actually after the doctor and not his son. By the time they figured it out the doctor was walking straight into the unsub’s path. Spencer had to dive into him to push the doctor out of the path of the bullet which missed the doctor and hit Spencer in the knee instead. Aaron’s shot however didn’t miss.

“Hold on Spencer the paramedic’s will be here soon.” Aaron cried, pressing his hands to the wound above Spencer’s knee, as the doctor hurried towards the unsub to see if anything could be done.

“I’m fine. Take care of him.” Spencer said, gesturing towards the unsub.

“No, he’s dead. You need me.” Aaron said, guilt and fear clouding his eyes so he didn’t notice the startled glance Spencer shot him.

The EMT’s arrived then and surrounded Spencer. Aaron couldn’t tear himself away and offered to ride with Spencer in the van, while Prentiss stayed to help the other’s with clean up.

~*~

Aaron had waited for hours in the waiting room, shirt still stained with Spencer’s blood, and soon been joined by the rest of the team, as they waited for news about their unit chief. Aaron found his hands shaking, as he tried to wash the blood of his hands when Garcia finally handed him a clean shirt and managed to convince him he needed a break from waiting.

‘ _ Blood Spencer’s blood’  _ was all he could think, as he washed it off scrubbing till the skin was red. If only he had been just a little faster he might have been able to prevent Spencer from getting hurt. He should have been able to, he had been SWAT after all. When he was as clean as he could possibly get he splashed some water on his face and tried to get a grip. Spencer had been hit yes, but it was not a fatal wound. He should be fine, whether he would retain use of his leg was a different matter. Repeating the phrase  _ not a fatal wound _ again, and again, to himself he tried to calm himself, as he changed his shirt, dropping the bloody one in an evidence bag.

When he finally managed to gain a measure of calm, he joined the others in the waiting room. It had been two hours and they still had no word. He sat there staring at his hands and repeating to himself that Spencer would be fine, when someone sat next to him and pushed a cup of coffee into his hands. Looking up, he saw Emily smiling faintly at him concern written on her face.

“He’ll be fine you know. He’s been through worse.” She said smiling.

“I should probably have let you ride with him in the ambulance, shouldn’t I? I’m sorry.” Aaron replied softly.

“What because I’ve known him longer? No you were fine.” She said, puzzlement furrowing her brow.

“No….um…I, you two are a couple, aren’t you?” Aaron asked, hesitantly.

Emily laughed drawing curious glances from the rest of the team.

“He thinks Spencer and I are a couple.” Emily explained, between bouts of laughter, setting off the others as well, while Aaron looked on smiling slightly and battling his embarrassment. They seemed to need the laughter to break up the tension in the room

“Sorry, Hotch. Not laughing at you, but you should know that the boss is gay.” Emily said, when she managed to control herself.

“Oh.” Aaron said, in a small voice rethinking everything he had seen and heard.

“Now, that you know we are not involved, maybe you could tell him about your little crush.” Emily teased smirking.

Aaron just blushed, “Am I that obvious?” he asked.

“You do remember you work with profilers, right?” Emily said, grinning as the rest of the tem went back to watching the door and waiting for the doctor.

“So? Are you going to tell our resident genius that you want to get in his pants?” Emily prodded when Hotch was silent trying to squash the small hope that had crept in with the news that Spencer was gay, “Cos you know, I think he wouldn’t be averse to it. Besides it’s been a long time since he had a really good lay.” She continued raising an eyebrow and grinning at him.

Aaron flushed bright red and said nothing and after grinning at him for a while enjoying his discomfort Emily let it go and he was grateful for that.

Finally 6 hours and several coffees later the doctor came out, told them that he would be fine, and even regain full use of the leg, although it had taken several painstaking hours to put the tendons and ligaments back together and would take months before he was off crutches.

~*~

By the time they were allowed to see Spencer, it was the next morning and he was awake, but barely. Garcia bounced into the room, with the rest of the team following. None of them had really gone back home except to grab a quick meal or a shower.

“Hey bossman. How are you feeling?” The perky blonde asked, settling herself in the chair next to Spencer’s bed.

“I’m fine Garcia.” Spencer said, voice slightly hoarse with disuse. His face was lined with the marks of pain and Aaron didn’t understand how that could be when he should be completely doped up on painkillers following surgery.

“You told them no narcotics, didn’t you?” Rossi asked, settling on the bed next to Spencer’s uninjured leg. He approved of it in principle, but seeing Spencer in pain hurt him. Spencer just nodded shortly and Rossi patted the leg next to him gently and smiled at him.

Aaron wanted to ask them why right then, but he kept quiet and watched from the sidelines. When everyone had had their turn greeting Spencer, the younger man smiled at Aaron.

“I should thank you for helping me yesterday and staying with me in the ambulance.” Spencer said, as he waved to Aaron who was standing near the foot of his bed.

“It was my fault you were shot. I should have been faster in taking the shot then you wouldn’t….” Aaron began.

“No, it’s not your fault. It’s my own damn fault for being so clumsy and the unsub’s fault for shooting in the first place.” Spencer interrupted, looking steadily into Aaron’s eyes until the man nodded.

“So, Spencer since you will be on crutches for the next couple of months you can’t stay in your place by yourself.” Emily began.

“I was thinking I would stay with Dave until I can handle living on my own.” Spencer said, looking up at the older man who nodded at him.

“Oh no. Why don’t you stay with Hotch here? Dave will have conferences and book tours coming up, now that you are out of commission and we are stuck on desk duty for the next few months.” Emily said smiling slyly.

Spencer blinked at her, “I…you…why?” he sputtered.

“Hotch won’t mind. Do you Hotch?” Emily continued, enjoying the stunned expressions on both men’s faces. The rest of the team were smiling enjoying the teasing along with her.

“I-I don’t mind Sp…Reid. Jack would love the company, as well.” Aaron said, his heart racing a little at the thought of living with Spencer, while he was recovering.

“If you’re sure.” Spencer said, uncertainly, a slight blush tinting his cheeks and Aaron nodded and it was settled.

So, Aaron ended up with a houseguest for the next four weeks. A houseguest, who was his boss and who he had a crush on. He really didn’t know how these things happened to him, he thought as he drove home to clear out the den and convert it into a temporary guest room for Spencer since the younger man wouldn’t be able to maneuver the stairs with his crutches. Spencer wouldn’t be coming home till the next day, so he had the time to grab some groceries, pick Jack up from school and explain their new house guest to the boy.

                                                                           ~*~

Aaron helped Spencer out of the car, slipping an arm around him and pulling him gently till he was upright, then handing him his crutches, so he could stand on his own.  He held on a little longer than necessary, mesmerized by the sweet scent of caramel and coffee that was the genius. He was so tempted to bury his face in the younger man’s neck and just inhale his scent until he knew that scent by heart.

He took a shaky breath and stepped back, not noticing the strange look Spencer shot him as he followed Aaron into the house.

Aaron tried to direct Spencer into the Den, that he had converted into a guestroom for him, but caved to Spencer’s pleading expression and allowed him to settle on the couch in front of the TV.

“You can stay here as long as you promise to rest your leg and not move. I’ll put something on for you to watch, shall I?” Aaron said, as he moved towards the stack of DVD’s.

“I promise.” Spencer said, pleased to have gotten his way.

“Sorry, we mostly have only kid stuff.” Aaron apologized, as he ran his fingers over the stack of movies, “We do have Netflix though, maybe you can find something to watch on that.” He said switching on the TV and queuing up the videos so Spencer could pick before he handed it over to Spencer.

“Thanks.” Spencer sighed, as he relaxed back against the cushions. He was putting on a brave face, but the pain and lack of proper painkillers was taking it out of him. He sighed and scrolled through the list till he found a mindless action movie that he thought Hotch might not mind and he could watch himself without having to think.

Aaron came back a few minutes later with Spencer’s medications and a sandwich, which he insisted Spencer eat before taking his meds. Spencer smiled tiredly at the other man and nibbled at the sandwich, as best he could before downing his meds and relaxed back into the pillows, as Aaron adjusted them around him, using one to prop his injured leg up. It wasn’t long before he was fast asleep with the movie playing in the background.

When Aaron came back with his own lunch, he found the young genius fast asleep and couldn’t resist running his hands through chestnut curls gently. Spencer looked so much more relaxed and so much younger asleep. It did him good to see the lines of pain relax around Spencer’s mouth, as he slept. Aaron settled himself next to Spencer on the couch and watched the movie, as he finished his lunch, careful not to wake Spencer. When it was over he switched it off and sat watching his unit chief sleep for a while, until it creeped him out and he rose and walked into his office to do some paperwork he had brought home with him.

Thanks to Spencer and Dave’s quick talking the whole team had two weeks off so by the time Aaron had to go back to work, Spencer would be a lot more mobile. Spencer of course was off work for much longer and wouldn’t be returning for a month at least.

~*~

Spencer woke to the sound of a door banging.

“Dad?” A young voice called.

Aaron walked out of his office to greet his son.

“Shh. Spencer…um Dr. Reid is sleeping. We don’t want to wake him. Hello Jack.” Aaron said, hugging exuberant boy to him despite Jack’s squirming.

“Who’s Dr. Reid?” Jack asked, curiously, completely failing to lower his voice.

“Softly now. Dr. Reid is my boss. I told you he was staying with us, while he’s getting better didn’t I?” Aaron admonished.

“Oh, yeah, I remember.” Jack said, peering towards the living room curiously.

“It’s fine, Hotch. I’m awake now.” Spencer called, wondering about Hotch’s son.

“Jack, this is Dr. Reid. Reid this is my son, Jack.” Aaron said, as he nudged the boy forward.

“You can call me Spencer. Both of you. Since, I’ll be living with you for a little while.” Spencer said, waving awkwardly at the boy.

Aaron was amused at his normally cool and confident unit chief looking at such a loss around his ten-year-old son. Jack smiled and waved back before requesting permission to play in his room and taking off as soon as he got it.

“Sorry, I’m just not used to kids.” Spencer said, once the boy had gone.

“You did fine for a first meeting. I’m sure it will be fine.” Aaron reassured him, “Can I get you anything? We’ll be having dinner in a little while.” Aaron asked.

“No. I’m fine. Thanks.” Spencer said reaching for the remote to switch on the TV.

Aaron nodded and went into the kitchen to get dinner started. When dinner was done Aaron hovered around Spencer, as he hobbled into the kitchen where Jack was already sitting at the table.

Dinner was companionable with Jack and Aaron doing most of the talking, as the pain was taking its toll on Spencer again. He managed to put in a word here and there and discovered a mutual love of manga with Jack.  They began a spirited debate on the merits of different books, they had read while Aaron watched amused and warmed by how well they were getting along.

After dinner, Aaron helped Spencer into his room and helped him change into his pajamas to the embarrassment of both men. Having his hands so close to Spencer’s skin occasionally brushing against the soft flesh, as he helped slide the flannel onto Spencer’s hips was hell on Aaron’s libido. Once that was done, Aaron backed out of the room as fast as was polite wondering what he had gotten himself into. He wasn’t sure how he was going to survive four weeks of this without making some horrible mistake and kissing Spencer. He cursed Emily and Rossi and himself for his stupidity, as he made his way up to tuck Jack into bed and read with him until the boy fell asleep.

~*~

The following four weeks were both the happiest and the most awkward Aaron had ever been in his life. Taking care of Spencer, making sure he had everything he needed close by so he wouldn’t have to strain his leg, helping him change his bandages, putting on his brace, making sure he didn’t overdo things was both wonderful and terrible for his libido at the same time.

He could see how much it had chaffed the younger man, so he made as little fuss as possible while helping and Spencer appreciated it. Aaron felt that he had grown closer to Spencer during his stay, but he still didn’t know how exactly, he would tell his boss that he had a crush on him without getting himself fired. He also wasn’t sure he could face rejection and still work with Spencer, so he kept quiet.

After the first day they had established the pattern. Spencer rarely came out of his room until after ten, since the pain from his injury made mornings particularly trying and he didn’t want to face Jack or bring the boy’s good mood down with his own rotten temper. So, once the boy was safely off to school, Spencer would hobble over to the downstairs bathroom and brush his teeth. Getting around these days took a lot longer than usual, since he wasn’t used to the crutches so it was usually late by the time he hobbled into the kitchen for his breakfast.

Spencer had tried to tell Aaron that he shouldn’t bother making any breakfast for him, since he would be up late and didn’t eat much in the mornings anyway but the man wouldn’t listen. So he usually ended up nibbling whatever Aaron had made for him that day and swallowing his medication while Aaron kept him company before they retreated to the living room and their respective pursuits.

Spencer had brought a stack of books with him that Emily was in charge of replenishing every weekend. She would bring new books with her and take the old ones away. Aaron was amazed at the sheer number of books, Spencer had managed to read in just the first day. He knew his boss read exceptionally fast but he had never actually seen it in action.

The younger man had also brought some coursework for a course in philosophy that he was trying to complete in his spare time. Aaron meanwhile kept himself occupied with his own paperwork and some cold case files, he had brought home with him. They usually spent the mornings in companionable silence, each doing their own thing. At lunch Aaron would make them both something and bring it into the living room where they would eat while chatting about different things. They found that they had a lot of similar likes and dislikes and were able to argue without rancor about what they disagreed on.

When Jack came home the boy would inevitably come to Spencer for help with his homework and Spencer was only too happy to help. The first time Aaron had suggested it, Spencer had balked at the idea, thinking he might be stepping on Aaron’s toes. Aaron and Jack managed to convince him that, that was not the case and after that the Spencer found that he really enjoyed spending time teaching Jack what he knew and vice versa.

Watching Spencer with his son was both heartwarming and heart wrenching for Aaron. It was when he realized that his crush was slowly slipping into love and there was nothing he could do about it. When Spencer started doing Jack’s bedtime reading with him as well, Aaron knew he was lost and he wasn’t sure he cared.

At odd moments, he would catch Spencer watching him with an odd expression on his face but it was usually carefully masked whenever Spencer noticed him looking back. Sometimes he was almost sure that the younger man was as interested in him as he was in Spencer, but he could never be sure.

~*~

Spencer could see how attached the little boy was getting and he knew he would miss both Hotchners, when he left, but he couldn’t see any way out. In a mistaken attempt to make things better he decided to visit his mother in Vegas as soon as he was fit to travel. When Jack came home the day Spencer had left, he went straight to the guest room where Spencer had been staying.

“Dad, Where’s Spencer’s stuff? He’s coming back and he doesn’t like things moved, you know.” The boy said as he walked into the kitchen.

“He took it with him when he went to visit his mother, Jack. He won’t be staying here anymore. By the time he gets back his knee will be better and he won’t need to stay with us.” Aaron said, carefully worried about his son’s reaction.

“But why can’t he stay with us? I like having him here. He’s cool and he knows so much stuff. I wouldn’t mind, if he was your boyfriend. Nikki’s dad has a boyfriend and she says it’s cool.” Jack said pouting.

Aaron was just glad he didn’t have anything in his mouth or he would certainly have choked.

“I-I…he…he’s my boss.” Aaron finally, managed to stutter.

“So? Marc’s mom is dating her boss. Marc says, it’s a little blergh to see them being mushy but you and Spencer aren’t like that and even if you are I’m fine with it. So can he stay? Please dad, please.” The boy begged.

“Jack…I....he’s not my boyfriend. He my boss and my friend. He was just staying here for a little while until his leg healed. I’m sorry.” Aaron said, gently still a little shocked by this turn of events.

“But why not? I can see that you like him, and he likes you. He makes you happy dad and he likes me.” Jack whined.

“It doesn’t work that way Jack. I’m sorry.” Aaron said, in a very final tone unwilling to discuss his love life or lack thereof with his son and unable to explain it to his son when he couldn’t even explain it to himself properly.

~*~

Spencer headed straight to Bennington when he landed in Vegas, he had informed his mother’s doctors that he would be staying with her for a few weeks while he healed enough to get by with just a cane. The top brass were leery of letting him out in the field until he was fully healed and he couldn’t say he blamed them, he already looked too young for his job and despite his efforts to dress the part, he still knew people underestimated him. Being on crutches would only make it worse, so he had allowed them to put him on sick leave for the duration, since it meant that his team would finally get a few weeks off followed by in office cold cases and consults, which he knew they needed after the past few months, especially Canada.

When Spencer checked into his room in Bennington he couldn’t help a shudder at the thought that he was glad he wasn’t checking in permanently like his mother. Maybe this had been a bad idea, it might bring back nightmares of getting checked in with schizophrenia, but it had seemed the best idea when he was in DC, he would have help changing his dressings and putting on his brace and he could be near his mother for the duration of his stay. He sighed quietly and decided to just make the best of it.

He made his way to where his mother was sitting maneuvering the crutches carefully and smiled fondly to seeing her head bent, lost in a book.

“Hello mom.” He said, as he arranged himself in the chair next to her.

“Spencer, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be taking it easy in DC?” Diana said, concern lacing her voice.

“I’m fine mom. Besides if I’m here, I have medical care when I need it rather than at home where I’m on my own.” Spencer said smiling at her.

“You can’t mean to stay  _ here _ ?” Diana asked, voice rising over the last word.

“If I were staying in DC or a hotel I would need someone staying with me to help with bandages and putting on my brace. Here I have trained medical staff and the pleasure of your company.” Spencer said, smiling, “I promise not to stay a moment longer than I absolutely must.” He said reassuringly.

“Good. I wouldn’t have you locked up here like me. You my beautiful boy are nothing like me.” She said, stroking his cheek gently as she smiled at him, “And if anyone tries to keep you here I will just have to scratch their eyes out.” She continued, matter-of-factly. Spencer just smiled fondly at her and they lapsed into silence as she went back to her book and Spencer stared into the distance lost in his own thoughts.

“What’s bothering you? I know you baby, there’s something. A mother always knows.” Diana said, after a little while.

“It’s just….There’s this man I work with. I-he was helping me, taking care of me when I got out of hospital…”Spencer trailed off.

“You are interested in this man? Does he reciprocate?” She asked, closing her book and looking at her son interestedly.

“I….maybe. I’m not sure. Sometimes I think he might be interested, but then he pulls away from me and I really can’t be sure. How do you decide, if it’s worth it to take a chance?” Spencer asked, still looking in the distance.

“Oh baby, it’s always worth the chance. The possibilities and taking risks is how we know we are alive.” Diana said, taking her son’s hand in hers and squeezing gently.

“The thing is….he has a son. If we become involved and it doesn’t work out there’s more than just the two of us who will get hurt.” Spencer sighed.

“Yes, and if it does work out there’s more than just the two of you who will be happy. The boy, does he like you? Get along with you?” Diana asked.

“Well, yes. He’s a very sweet boy. We were reading The Hobbit while I was there and he really liked the fact that I didn’t need a book to read to him. He’s a bright boy.” Spencer gushed, his eyes lighting up as he talked about Jack.

“I see it’s not just the father who seems to have captured your heart.” Diana said smiling, “Take a chance baby. It’s always worth it. I know Derek broke your heart when he left, but that doesn’t mean that every relationship will end the same way.”

“Thanks mom. I’ll think about it.” Spencer said, leaning forward to hug her. She went back to her book, he pulled out one of his own and started reading, savoring every word at a much slower pace than usual.

When it started getting late, they went in together and had dinner in Diana’s room. As Spencer was leaving after Diana settled in for the night she spoke.

“There was a man here the other day. He said, he was a friend. He told me your father died. Did anyone contact you about it?” Diana asked.

“William is dead?” Spencer asked surprised, “No one called me. But then why would they. The man didn’t have any use for me when he was alive why would it be different when he was dead. Good night mom.” He said a trace of bitterness in his voice as he left.

As he walked into his room, he made up his mind to find out what he could about the man who had visited his mother and about William Reid’s death.

~*~

The next morning found Spencer hobbling into the police station to look at the report on William Reid’s murder. The previous night he had looked up the obituary and found out that his father had been murdered and he was curious. His FBI credentials and relationship to the victim allowed him access to the whole file and one look at the crime scene pictures made Spencer’s blood run cold. He had seen that exact stab pattern before. He hoped beyond hope that that he was wrong but he was sure that Foyet had killed his father.

Praying that he was wrong, he called Penelope and persuaded her to run a search for similar murders in the vicinity. Half an hour later, he sat in that cold conference room surrounded with the files of two other murders and a sick feeling in the pit of his gut. There was no doubt about it. Foyet was recreating his own stab wounds on his new victims, before killing them by slitting their throats. Worse still he seemed to be focusing on people who had wronged Spencer in some way, his estranged father and the bullies who had tormented Spencer in high school.

As far as Spencer could tell, William Reid had been the first victim followed a couple of weeks later by Harper Hillman, now Harper Lee and then a week later Alexa Dumont nee Lisben, who had been two of Spencer’s worst tormentors in school. Hands shaking slightly with anger and disgust that The Reaper’s preoccupation with him had lead to this Spencer, pulled out the phone and called Strauss. He was personally involved now, his injury would not prevent him and his team from hunting the man down.

It took a day to convince the brass to let his team find Foyet and get his team down to Vegas. In that time Spencer had determined that the man who had visited his mother was Foyet and he had left a box with souvenirs with Diana. His father’s wedding ring and the class rings of both Alexa and Harper were in the box. Spencer tightened security around his mother arranging that nobody be allowed into the facility, unless they were a family member or approved by Dr. Norman. He also arranged for a couple of agents to watch over his mother and spent the rest of the time poring over the files on the three murders, trying to figure out which of his childhood tormentors the psycho would go after next.

~*~

When Aaron walked into the conference room that Spencer was using, he could see that the other man was close to his limit. He quietly walked back out of the room and got his boss a sandwich and a coffee from the break room placing it next to Spencer without a word. Spencer glanced up and gave him a small smile of thanks. It was a tired smile but still a smile, which was more than he had had in the past couple of days and it made him realize how much he had missed Spencer. Swallowing any words that might give him away, he squeezed Spencer’s shoulder gently and smiled back before picking up one of the files next to his unit chief.

Spencer watched Aaron sit down next to him and look through the file until Rossi cleared his throat and he was brought out of his reverie. He had missed the quiet care Aaron had provided and the affectionate touches they had shared while living in the same house. Sighing, he brought his mind back to the case and brought his team up to speed on what he had found before they arrived. He also handed them a list of his childhood tormentors and hoped against hope that he hadn’t somehow forgotten anyone.

Rossi was acting as temporary unit chief for this case, while Spencer would be staying in the station and out of the field. Strauss had been very clear on that. He could help his team as long as he stayed at the station. Agreeing to this had been the only way he had been able to get approval for his team’s involvement.

Between them and the Vegas police they managed to get almost everyone on Spencer’s list protected by dinnertime. The only one on the list who was missing was the former quarterback of the football team Kevin Johnson. The man was now a salesman who was supposed to be away at a conference and they couldn’t get in touch with him, to confirm his whereabouts.

The next morning they found Johnson’s mutilated corpse on the side of the road stabbed and with his throat slit, just like the others and they knew they had been too late. Johnson’s wife was inconsolable. They had only been married a year and watching her grieve made the whole team more determined to catch Foyet.

The problem was that with all his potential victims warned and under police protection, they had no idea what Foyet would do next, but they couldn’t justify using anyone as bait. They debated the problem going round and round with their arguments and not getting anywhere. They finally got Garcia to run facial recognition on all public transport systems and over all the public surveillance cameras in Vegas in hopes of finding him.

Tired and disheartened, Spencer hobbled into his room at the end of the day setting his crutches next to the bed, as he began to remove his brace when he heard a noise. He turned towards the sound to see a silhouette of a person sitting in one of the armchairs in his room. He didn’t need the light, he knew exactly who it was. He couldn’t suppress a shudder as a chill of fear ran along his spine.

“Why do you hunt me Dr. Reid? I’m just trying to help you. I killed them for you. They hurt you and belittled you all your life. I made them pay.” Foyet asked softly.

Sheer revulsion filled Spencer at the thought of what this man had done, but he couldn’t show it if he was to get out of this alive. He was armed still but he could see Foyet’s gun in his hand and he wasn’t sure he would be able to get to his own before Foyet fired. He needed some kind of distraction, some way to give him the advantage. His mind whirring he sat quietly, letting the other man rant.

“We are so much alike you know. Both brilliant and tortured as children, with parents who never cared enough to do anything about the bullies. Can you not understand why I would do what I do? Why would you hunt me like an animal? I admired you and you betrayed me like this. You took away my prey, hid them away from me. No matter, I’ll just find new prey. But first I need to teach you a lesson in loyalty. You don’t hunt people who do you favors.” Foyet said, silkily his voice soft and threatening, as he approached slowly and tossed the crutches away effectively trapping Spencer on the bed, before he moved back to prowl threateningly eyes locked on Spencer.

“You think you did me a favor? That’s rich. I haven’t given these people a thought in more years than I can count. I had no reason to think of them until you killed them. We are nothing alike. You are nothing more than an animal looking for a master.” Spencer taunted, trying to make the man angry enough to make a mistake.

Foyet approached the bed with a snarl, his gun for once not pointed directly at Spencer, so angry he seemed to have forgotten he was holding it. This was the opportunity Spencer had been looking for. Spencer grabbed his gun and tried to aim it at Foyet when the man lunged at him. The gun went off, as Foyet’s hands closed around Spencer’s throat, the man having dropped his own gun in his anger.

For a minute, Spencer thought he had missed, as Foyet’s hands tightened around his neck cutting off his air, but then the hold loosened and he could breathe again, as Foyet staggered back a step looking down at his chest incredulously to see the spreading stain of blood. He dropped like a stone, eyes still wide open in an expression of surprise.

Spencer took a relieved breath and waited for the rushing footsteps, he could hear, to reach him, help summoned a little too late by the sound of a gunshot. He fumbled for his phone to call the team.

The nurse walked in and stared with wide scared eyes at the dead man lying on the floor until Spencer clapped his hands and drew her attention.

“Could you get Dr. Norman? And check him for a pulse?” Spencer snapped, hoping the orders would get her moving faster.

The nurse approached tentatively and checked for a pulse but shook her head at Spencer’s enquiry. It was finally over and Foyet was dead.

Spencer nodded grimly and she left to get the doctor. He curbed his impulse to call Aaron and dialed Dave instead, telling him as concisely as possible what had happened. Twenty minutes later he heard Aaron’s voice in the hall asking for directions to his room.

Spencer had managed to get Dr. Norman to cordon off his room, as Spencer hobbled to the sitting room of his suite of rooms to wait for the police and his team. Hearing Aaron’s voice was unexpectedly soothing to Spencer’s still frazzled nerves.

“Spencer.” Aaron cried, as he entered the room. He rushed forward, sinking to his knees in front of Spencer and took the younger man into his arms pressing a quick kiss to his surprised lips before either man even realized what was happening.

As soon as Aaron realized what he had done, he tried to move back but by then Spencer’s arms had come up around him and he didn’t let go.

“I…. um… sorry.” Aaron mumbled, trying to extract himself from the embrace.

“I’m not.” Spencer said, and leaned forward to brush his lips across Aaron’s and after a second Aaron responded opening his mouth to deepen the kiss.

Dave walked in to see them kissing and rather than interrupt he motioned the rest of the team into the other room to deal with Foyet’s body, rather than interrupt the two men. They deserved to find their happiness in each other and he had a feeling they would be good for each other.

“Come home Spencer, Jack misses you.” Aaron said, against Spencer’s lips as the kiss broke.

“Just Jack?” Spencer asked shyly.

“I’ve missed you too. Come back? Stay with us again. Go out on a date with me?” Aaron asked, hope shining in his eyes.

“I’d like that.” Spencer said, happiness adding a glow to his face before his expression turned mischievous, “Now, I just have to get Dave to take over your evals.” He said, grinning.

Both men laughed together happy to have finally found each other.

***********************************************************

The end?


	5. Chapter 5

[](https://imgur.com/mZar2Sd)


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